Tales of the Fox Clan: Beginnings
by perfesserkai
Summary: Ten years after the defeat of Akatsuki, old enemies resurface and new challenges arise as Naruto works towards his dream of becoming Hokage.
1. Chapter 1

**Tales of the Fox Clan: Beginnings**

By perfesserkai

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, or any of the other characters and places created by Misashi Kishimoto. Kinda sucks, but oh, well.

**Part 1: Awakening the Beast**

Chapter 1

The tree branches barely moved as Naruto leapt through the forest, his feet touching each branch just long enough to launch him towards the next. He paused every so often to make sure he had not lost track of his quarry. Fortunately for him, the man he was pursuing either did not know he was being followed, or did not care. Naruto thought that the latter was more likely, based on the speed at which the man was moving: he seemed more interested in putting distance between himself and the last settlement he and his cronies had attacked, than in making any attempts to cover his trail. And while Naruto's skills at tracking were hardly the equal of the members of the Inuzuka clan, they were more than adequate for the task at hand.

As Naruto moved through the trees, the whisker-cheeked Leaf-_nin_ spared a moment to wish his squad well. He had already dispatched his teammates in pursuit of his target's henchmen, and while his squad for this mission was comprised of _chûnin_, except for himself, their targets were little more than common thugs, as far as Naruto was concerned, Rock-_nin_ status or not. He was confident that his squad could handle the flunkies; he himself was after the leader.

At the edge of a clearing in the trees, Naruto stopped on a high branch. In the middle of the clearing, he could see his prey, just standing there like he was waiting for something. The young Leaf-_nin_ scanned the surrounding area, looking for a trace of anything out of the ordinary. Finding nothing more interesting than the local wildlife, Naruto grinned. Whatever reason the Rock-_nin_ had for stopping, he had played right to Naruto's advantage. And he was always one to press the advantage when he had it.

Making sure to keep an eye on his prey, Naruto cautiously made his way down through the trees, to a better spot to launch an attack from. According to the information he had, the man he was about to engage was a former _jônin_ from the Hidden Rock village, and the _Hokage_ had made it very clear she wanted the man captured for questioning. That ruled out most of Naruto's more effective attacks; he'd have to rely on technique more than brute force this time. Not his preferred method, but he'd make due.

As Naruto moved into position, the Rock-_nin_ started pacing back and forth. The man appeared to be growing increasingly annoyed about something; Naruto could hear him cursing under his breath. _Good_, he thought. _An agitated foe is more likely to make mistakes_.

Suddenly the Rock-_nin_ stopped his pacing, and cocked his head to one side. Naruto knew he had to act soon; if the Rock-_nin_ had detected his presence, the element of surprise would be lost. Naruto quickly made a series of hand signs, creating two shadow clones, one on either side of himself. He sent the pair in opposite directions around the edge of the clearing. His plan was to use a three-pronged attack and try to overwhelm his opponent's defenses before the Rock-_nin_ could react. If he was lucky, he'd be able to take the man out without much of a fight, and make it back to the village before Ichiraku's ramen stand closed for the night.

Too bad no one told that to the Rock-_nin_.

Once his shadow clones were in position, Naruto started another series of hand signs. Slowly, a wind started blowing about in the clearing. Focusing his _chakra_, Naruto started increasing the speed of the wind, and added some spin to it. Eventually, there was a substantial gust swirling through the clearing around the Rock-_nin_. The _jutsu_ had been taught to Naruto by Temari, older sister of the _Kazekage_ of the Hidden Sand village, as a way of saying 'thanks' to the young Leaf-_nin_ for his part in rescuing her brother years earlier when he had been kidnapped by the Akatsuki organization. He didn't use it very often, usually preferring a more direct approach, but in this case he needed finesse, and this particular _jutsu_ was perfect for the job.

The rogue _shinobi_, who already looked confused by the sudden wind, now looked like he was struggling to remain upright. He began forming his own series of hand signs, probably in an attempt at some sort of barrier _jutsu_, Naruto thought. Realizing that he had to act quickly, Naruto signaled his two shadow clones.

From three directions, _kunai_ and _shuriken_ flew towards the middle of the clearing. As they neared their target, the items got caught in the wind, and swirled about like a swarm of angry hornets. The Rock-_nin_, now clearly caught by surprise, tried to increase the speed of his hand signs, but soon discovered the second part of Naruto's trap as the wires tied to each _shuriken_ and _kunai_ wrapped themselves around his body, binding his arms to his sides, effectively immobilizing him.

Naruto allowed the wind to die down, and moved into the clearing, _kunai_ at the ready; it never hurt to be prepared in case his foe found a way to escape. He looked at the Rock-_nin_ with a smirk on his face. "So, this is all I can expect from a Rock village _jônin_, huh? I'm disappointed. From what the people around here were saying about you and your friends, I expected more of a fight."

The Rock-_nin_, who was still struggling against the wires, spat back, "Hah! You think you've beaten me so easily? Fool!" And then, much to Naruto's surprise, the Rock-_nin_'s body seemingly began to melt, flowing through the wires that were wrapped around it. Soon, there was nothing left but a puddle of mud where the captive man had been standing. Naruto could do nothing but stare at where his prisoner had been.

"What the …? Where'd he go?" Naruto wasted little time wondering about how his prisoner had escaped his trap. The man had obviously used some kind of special Earth-style technique to evade the trap the Leaf _shinobi_ had sprung. The question now was where was he? And how would he counter-attack?

The clearing had grown eerily quiet. Naruto couldn't even hear the sounds of the rest of his squad as they fought the Rock-_nin_'s companions; he had moved too far away from them in his pursuit of the rogue. Cursing himself for his stupidity in underestimating his opponent, Naruto again signaled his other two selves, and they quickly started a search of the surrounding area, looking for any sign of the vanished _shinobi_. As the search progressed, Naruto took a moment to ponder the situation. He didn't really know very much about this particular Rock-_nin_'s abilities, even though Tsunade had given him a brief overview of what he might expect before he and his squad left the village. Most Rock _shinobi_ specialized in Earth-type _jutsu_, and that was clearly the case with this man. Normally, Naruto might try to use his wind-based _chakra_ to attack the man, but Tsunade had given him strict orders that the rogues were to be captured alive if at all possible. The young Leaf _shinobi_ was going to have to do this the old fashioned way, using his shadow clones and his fists, but first he had to find his target.

Without warning, the Leaf-nin felt the earth around his feet shifting. He tried to jump away, only to discover that something had grabbed his ankles in a firm grip. Before he new what was happening, Naruto found himself being flung face first into the ground. The impact knocked the breath out of him, and he struggled to get up. Unfortunately for him, whatever had grabbed him still had a hold of his ankles. The next thing he knew, he was being picked up and spun around, before finally being slammed into a tree. The young blonde slumped to the ground in a heap.

"Is this the best the Hidden Leaf village can do? I faced stronger opponents when I was a _genin_ than you are!" came a voice Naruto was not familiar with. Presumably it was the voice of the Rock-_nin_, but Naruto, face down on the ground as he was, couldn't be certain. "Does the _Hokage_ think so little of me that she sends such a pathetic excuse for a _shinobi_ as you after me?"

Naruto was beginning to grow frustrated. His attack plan had not worked at all! In fact, his opponent had somehow managed to turn the situation around and now held the advantage over the whisker-cheeked ninja. _Blast it!_ he thought. _This guy's tougher than I thought. But I'm not gonna give up! My squad is depending on me!_

Naruto slowly struggled to his feet. The impact with the tree had probably injured his back, but he couldn't worry about that now. He had a mission to complete, and he would be damned if some two-bit Rock _shinobi_ with delusions of grandeur was going to beat him. After all, he was the right arm of the Fifth _Hokage_ herself, one of the most promising _jônin_ of his generation. Many people in the village even said that he was in line to be the next _hokage_. He couldn't let them down; he had to protect his precious people, and the people of his village. And that included the ones not living within the village walls.

Once he had regained his feet, Naruto raised his head and looked in the direction he thought the voice had been coming from. Before him stood the Rock-_nin_, looking supremely confident in his chances at defeating what he saw as a mere annoyance. The young Leaf-_nin_ straightened up, ignoring the pain messages his back was sending to his brain, and chuckled. "Heh, is that the best you've got? You should've finished me off when you had the chance, instead of stopping to gloat. Now, I'm not going to go so easy on you!" he spat at his attacker, before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

_What!_ thought the Rock-_nin_. _A shadow clone! Then where is …_ He didn't have time to complete his thought before Naruto and the remaining shadow clone were on him. The pair unleashed a flurry of punches and kicks, taxing the Rock-_nin's_ _taijutsu_ skills to the limit as he tried to block or deflect everything the pair threw at him. This continued for several minutes, with neither side making any headway against the other, until finally the Rock-_nin_ managed to dispel the shadow clone and gain some separation between himself and Naruto.

The two _shinobi_ stared at each other across the clearing, each trying to guess the other's next move. In the distance, Naruto picked up a sense of someone approaching, but they were too far away for him to determine anything beyond that. He had confidence in his squad, but this guy had so far managed to surprise him. The safest bet would be to take his opponent out as quickly as possible, and then face whatever was approaching. To do that, he'd have to hit the Rock-_nin_ with overwhelming force. He considered using the _Rasengan_, but using it required a definite hit on his opponent, and Naruto was uncertain if he had enough time for that, given the rogue's skill level. _I don't have a choice_, thought the blonde ninja. _I've got to use the Fox's _chakra_. It's the only way I'll be able to take this guy down in time_.

Closing his eyes, Naruto searched within himself for the place where the Nine-Tailed Fox was held prisoner. He had visited that place many times over the years, and finding it now was almost instinctual. Lately it had become merely a formality for the whisker-cheeked _shinobi_, as the seal imprisoning the Fox also served to blend its and Naruto's _chakras_ together. It was an imperfect blending, though, and Naruto had to be careful not to use too much of the foreign _chakra_ at once. To do so would invite a disaster of epic proportions, and the young Leaf-_nin_ didn't want to take that chance.

In his mind's eye, Naruto found himself in a familiar dank corridor. At the far end stood the barred doors imprisoning the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox that had ravaged Konohagakure twenty-six years earlier. "Hey, Fox," called Naruto. When no response came, he called again, "Fox! I'm talking to you!"

A low rumbling emanated from the end of the corridor, growing in volume as the Nine-Tails roused itself. Soon, a pair of gleaming, malicious eyes appeared between the bars in the door. "What do you want, runt?" demanded the Fox, its voice resonating within the corridor.

Naruto chuckled softly. The two of them had played this game many times before, and Naruto had become an expert. He knew the Fox loved nothing more than to cause destruction, and while strictly speaking he did not need the beast's permission to use its _chakra_, the blonde found it easier for both of them if he at least made it look like he did. After several incidents in his youth resulted in very dangerous situations for his comrades, Naruto had decided that it was far better to make nice with the Nine-Tails than try to impose his will on it.

"Oh, nothing, Fox. I just thought you might want to play with this guy, is all," responded Naruto. He knew that, although the Fox was a prisoner behind the seal the Fourth _Hokage_ had placed on him, it was still aware of what happened in the outside world. "Unless you're afraid he might ne too much for you."

The Fox's eyes narrowed to slits, and the deep voice said, "I fear nothing, runt. Least of all some pathetic insect like him." The Fox paused, and a deep rumbling that almost sounded like laughter came from behind the bars. "All right, I'll help you out. After all," said the Fox, as again the rumbling laughter sounded through the corridor, "if something happens to you, I die too, right?"

Naruto, by now used to the Fox's arrogance, nodded once, and opened himself to the new _chakra_ flowing through him. He briefly wondered at the Fox's easy agreement, but pushed the thought to the back of his mind; there would be time to think about that once his mission was complete.

In the clearing, Naruto opened his eyes and looked at the Rock-_nin_ he had been fighting. The _chakra_ now flowing through him provided quite a rush; he felt like he could take on the whole of the Akatsuki. A smirk appeared on his face as he addressed the man before him. "I said you should have finished me off when you had the chance," said Naruto, his voice slightly distorted, affected as he was by the _chakra_ of the Nine-Tails. "Now, you're gonna pay for your mistake!" As he spoke, the whisker marks on his cheeks became noticeably darker, and his canine teeth grew longer.

The Rock-_nin_, who had been focusing his own _chakra_ in an attempt to stave of whatever assault the Leaf _shinobi_ had planned, paused in his preparations, and gazed in awe at the sight before him. He had heard rumors that one of the _shinobi_ from the Hidden Leaf village possessed the power of a demon, but had never thought he might actually come face-to-face with the man. He could _see_ the _chakra_ emanating from his opponent, whose eyes had now turned from their normal blue to red slits. The Rock-_nin_ took an involuntary step back, amazed at the sight before him. As Naruto began moving towards him, he pulled himself together just enough to start making a series of hand signs. It was then that Naruto disappeared.

_So fast …_ thought the Rock-_nin_, as he worked hurriedly to complete his _jutsu_. He was about to make the final sign, when a voice came from behind him. "Too late, loser," came the distorted voice of the transformed Naruto, and before the Rock-_nin_ could react he found himself flying across through the air across the clearing. He was still reeling from the shock of what had just happened when Naruto appeared before him again, this time kicking him in an entirely different direction. Things continued in this manner for a few moments, with the Rock-_nin_ being bounced around like a pinball, before finally Naruto sent him crashing to the ground with a powerful downwards kick to the chest. The rogue _shinobi_ crashed to the ground with a solid _thud_. Naruto, using the momentum of his kick, came down on his opponent's chest with both feet, landing with a sickening crunch.

Looking down at his now-helpless foe, Naruto stepped off of the man's chest. Looking down at his enemy, he said, "You should've surrendered when you had the chance." Naruto raised his fist, and was just about to put the rogue out of his misery when he heard a familiar voice call his name.

"Naruto! That's enough!" The blonde Leaf-_nin_ paused, raising his head to see where the voice had come from, only to see Haruno Sakura, his long-time friend and one-time crush, step out from the trees.


	2. Chapter 2

**Tales of the Fox Clan: Beginnings**

By perfesserkai

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, or any of the other characters and places created by Misashi Kishimoto. Kinda sucks, but oh, well.

**Part 1: Awakening the Beast**

Chapter 2

Haruno Sakura had been trying to relax and enjoy herself. Two weeks earlier she had been assigned by the _Hokage_ the task of teaching some of Konohagakure's more advanced medical techniques to the doctors and nurses in the Land of Waves. While the mission was not a particularly dangerous one, aside from the fact that she had to fend off some fairly determined admirers, it was still mentally strenuous, and the pink-haired _kunoichi_ had been looking forward to a nice, leisurely return trip to her village.

All that changed when, only a few hours away from the village gates, she felt a sudden _chakra_ surge.

Stopping on the trail she had been following, Sakura scanned the area, trying to pinpoint the direction the surge had come from. It seemed familiar somehow, but she couldn't quite place it. Nevertheless, whatever had caused the surge had to be pretty powerful, and if it was already this close to the village, it was up to her to investigate, and if necessary, stop it.

So much for her peaceful, relaxing trip home.

When the _chakra_ surged again, Sakura managed to get a bead on it. She bounded into the forest, mentally readying herself for battle. While she didn't possess her friend Naruto's massive _chakra_ reserves, she more than made up for it with her precise control, and could more than hold her own in a fight. Whoever, or whatever, was causing trouble near her home was about to find out the hard way that Haruno Sakura was not someone to be trifled with.

As she moved through the trees, she began to get a better sense of what was causing the sudden flare-up of _chakra_. It was, indeed, familiar to her. In fact, she had prayed many times that she'd never have to feel that _chakra_ again. The last time she had felt it, Naruto had been fighting alone against three _jônin_ from one of the smaller hidden villages. Then, as now, she had been a good distance away from the fight. By the time she arrived, though, Naruto had managed to mangle two of his opponents pretty badly, and the third was being tossed around like a rag doll. But more troublesome to the young _kunoichi_ was the reason Naruto had managed to completely devastate his opponents. He had called upon the power of the Nine-Tailed Fox, but had used too much of it, and lost control. It was sheer luck that Sakura had been given a copy of Jiraiya's seal, the one used to suppress the Fox's _chakra_, by Kakashi. The Copy-_nin_ had given it to her once he semi-retired from field missions, knowing that Sakura was more likely to be able to use it than he was. It had taken her awhile, but she had finally managed to place the seal on Naruto's forehead, causing the Fox's Cloak to recede, and returning Naruto to normal. It had been one of the scariest events in her life, not because of any personal danger, but because she almost lost her friend to something more powerful than either of them. Again.

Fearing the worst, Sakura increased her speed. Hopefully she would get there in time.

* * *

As she neared the clearing where Naruto was busy fighting the Rock-_nin_, Sakura slowed her pace. If Naruto was truly enveloped by the power of the Nine-Tails, the last thing she wanted to do was surprise him and make herself a target.

When she reached the edge of the clearing, Sakura stopped and surveyed the scene before her. Naruto was treating his opponent to an impromptu physics lesson, bouncing the man from point to point above the clearing, before finally sending him crashing to the ground. To Sakura's relief, the blond ninja did not seem to have called fully upon the power of the Nine-Tails; she would not need the seal after all. He was still in a dangerous state, however, and she would have to be cautious in approaching him.

As Sakura watched Naruto raise his fist above his now helpless foe, though, she decided it was time to reveal herself. Stepping out from the trees, she called out, "Naruto! That's enough!"

She stopped a few feet into the clearing, close enough for Naruto to recognize her, but far enough away for her to take action if she needed to. She watched him intently as he raised his head from his now-defeated opponent to look at her, hoping that he would calm down enough to recognize her. As she stared at her friend, the pink-haired _kunoichi_ saw something unfamiliar flash through his eyes, something … primitive, almost lustful. It was gone as soon as it appeared, though, leaving Sakura to wonder if she had imagined it. She shivered, then shook her head; Naruto had never looked at her in such a fashion before, at least not to her knowledge. He had too much respect for her to do that. It must have been her imagination running wild, nothing more.

As Naruto's eyes faded from red back to blue, Sakura felt the Fox's _chakra_ recede. Soon, Naruto spoke. "Sakura-_chan_? What … what are you doing here? Aren't you on a mission?" he asked.

"I was, but I finished early, and was on my way back to the village when I felt a _chakra_ surge," replied the medic-_nin_. "I decided to come investigate." Realizing she needed to change the subject, lest she make her friend uncomfortable, she glanced at the body laying on the ground, and gave Naruto a questioning look. "Looks like you've been having a good time. What's his story?"

"Ah, he's been terrorizing some of the smaller settlements in the area, so _baa-chan_ sent me to investigate," said Naruto. He was slowly coming back to himself after the fight. Looking at the Rock-_nin_ on the ground, he managed a sheepish look. "I was supposed to bring him and his buddies in for questioning. Guess I over-did it, huh?"

Sakura merely shook her head as she walked over to where her friend was standing. When she reached Naruto and his foe, she bent to inspect the unconscious _shinobi_. Judging from how beat up the man looked, Sakura guessed that Naruto more than 'over-did it', as he put it. From what she could determine, the man was nearly dead. Feeling a sudden surge of anger, she rounded on her friend. "_Baka_. You used the Fox's _chakra_ again, didn't you?"

"Yeah, but …" started Naruto.

"Tsunade-_sensei_ warned you about trying to use it too much, you know," continued Sakura, ignoring Naruto's protest. Placing her hands over the Rock-_nin's_ chest, she began working to stabilize the man's wounds.

"But, Sakura-_chan_ …" tried Naruto again. Sakura was having none of it, though. She turned her head to face Naruto, an angry look on her face.

"No, Naruto! You know how dangerous using the power of the Nine-Tails is! That's partly why you were transferred out of the ANBU: none of them could control you when you used the Fox's _chakra_. It was becoming dangerous for everyone."

Naruto, now fully in control of himself again, spat out, "But I'm better at controlling it now! Believe it! I didn't even kill this guy, even though he probably deserved it!" He looked down at the body again. "Er, he is still alive, right?"

Sakura, turning to continue her work on the Rock-_nin_, sighed, and said, "Yes, he's alive, Naruto. But only just. If I hadn't come along, you'd have …" She stopped short, realizing what she was about to say.

Naruto grew silent. After a moment, he said, "I'd have what, Sakura-_chan_? Killed him? Is that what you were going to say?"

Sakura remained still, not knowing what to say. She knew that Naruto disliked killing, and used it only as a last resort. But when he was possessed by the Fox's power, it was a different matter. _He_ was different. She nodded, unable to bring herself to vocalize what she was thinking.

"Sakura-_chan_," started Naruto. "What happened before is never going to happen again. I only used enough _chakra_ to take this guy out before anybody else came along." As he spoke, something clicked in his brain. It must have been Sakura whose presence he felt during the fight. But she had been too far away; Naruto hadn't realized it was her. If she was that far away, then the sudden flood of _chakra_ from the Nine-Tailed Fox must have been stronger than he thought. And that meant …

"You knew, didn't you? Before you even got here, you knew what happened."

Sakura turned back to her patient, not wanting Naruto to see how upset she was getting.

"Sakura-_chan_, please look at me," asked Naruto. Not getting a response from the pink-haired _kunoichi_, Naruto moved in front of her and squatted down. "I'm not moving until you look at me, Sakura-_chan_."

Slowly, Sakura brought her head up to meet Naruto's gaze. She knew he wasn't going to leave her alone until she answered him. With a small sigh, she said, "Yes, I knew." Still Naruto remained squatting in front of her, peering intently into her eyes. She stared back at him, trying her best to keep her composure. The last thing she wanted was for Naruto to start hiding behind his goofy grin again. She's had enough of that when they were both _genin_ on Team Seven.

_Although_, said her inner self, _it is a cute grin_.

Naruto stared at his friend a moment longer, then stood up, intending to move away so Sakura could work in peace. As he turned from her, however, he heard her say, almost too soft to hear, "I just wish you wouldn't use that _chakra_ so much. I'm getting worried about you."

The blonde Leaf-_nin_ paused briefly, taking in her words. Over the years the two _jônin_ had grown closer, even after the disbanding of Team Kakashi, and while his crush on Sakura had evolved into a solid friendship, he still had some non-platonic feelings for the young medic-_nin_. Normally he kept them buried deep down, though, especially on the rare occasions that the two shared missions; the last thing he needed was to become distracted in the middle of a dangerous situation. His time with the ANBU had taught him that.

Looking back over his shoulder at Sakura, Naruto said, "I'm going to check the area. This guy wasn't alone, and my squad hasn't checked in yet. There might still be some danger."

Sakura scowled, before returning her attention to the wounded ninja before her. _Stupid baka_, she thought. _Doesn't he realize how dangerous the Fox's _chakra _is? How much he changes when he uses it? It's like Sasuke all over again!_

She continued her work on the Rock-_nin_, grumbling under her breath every so often about stupid men and their stupid bull-headedness.


End file.
